Classical music's biggest transfers

Luis Suárez, Gareth Bale and Cesc Fábregas - they're all rumoured to be on the move before the transfer window closes. But who were the original movers and shakers in the classical world? Which conductors and composers were hot property in bidding wars, big-money transfers and controversial moves to the opposition?

1. Bach to Dresden

Like Wayne Rooney, desperate to leave Manchester Utd but contracted to stay, Johann Sebastian Bach spent the best part of his professional career trying to escape St. Thomas' in Leipzig. It was a good gig for him, but he was keen to move to Dresden for a position as court composer - he even wrote the Kyrie and Gloria as a sort of 'look at me' statement for them, but sadly that never got back to him…

2. Mahler to Vienna

Footballers are often happy to change nationality to play for a better team (can you imagine what the England team would've been like if Ryan Giggs had managed to find an English grandma or something?), but Mahler went a step further and converted to Roman Catholicism to get a job at the Vienna Hofoper.

3. Rattle to Berlin

If Gareth Bale does indeed leave Tottenham for Real Madrid as the pundits are suggesting, it'll be a move similar to Sir Simon Rattle upping sticks from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to join the even loftier heights of the Berlin Philharmonic.

4. Gergiev to Munich

Like a modern-day Kevin Keegan off to Hamburg, Maestro Valery Gergiev announced earlier this year that he's leaving the London Symphony Orchestra to take on a new challenge at the Munich Philharmonic in 2015.

5. Dudamel to Los Angeles

After transforming the classical music scene in his native Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel (himself a dead ringer for Carlos Valderrama) was tempted by the bright lights of Hollywood when he had the chance to take on the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009.

6. Handel to London

Several composers made other countries their home, but few embraced their new country quite like Georg Frideric Handel, who left his native Germany in 1712 to settle in London, where he stayed for the rest of his life. Perhaps a parallel with Ivory Coast national Wilfried Zaha, who made his debut for England last year?

7. Haydn to… nowhere

Good old sensible Haydn. Like Paul Scholes or Ryan Giggs at Manchester Utd after him, he never once thought about deserting his position at the musical service of the Esterhazys.

8. Dvorak to New York

He was known to tour around the place, but Antonin Dvorak finally settled on New York as his home when he was offered the directorship of the National Conservatory of Music in 1892. Let's just say it was a little bit more culturally successful than when David Beckham joined LA Galaxy…

9. Chopin to Paris

The pianistic genius decided he'd had enough of Poland by the time he was 20 and went to try his luck in Paris instead. He adopted the French version of his name, gained French citizenship and never once returned to the country of his origin.